Tuesday, February 05, 2013

A Trade Post (from 2011 - Seriously)

About two years ago, I moved from my single person apartment near my workplace to a house that is about 55 miles or so away from work. Of course, I did that because the house is one that my wife and I purchased when we got married. As you can imagine, things like marriages, moving, and house buying can make for a busy time...and so some things got pushed aside (little things like baseball cards mostly).

Flash forward to 2013 and what do I find sitting in a drawer from my move? A package dated April 26, 2011 from Colbey over at Cardboard Collections. According to my records, I participated in a group break of some sort at his blog where I must have had the Reds and the Orioles (as you'll soon see). I have to admit, this made for a fun surprise in what was otherwise another cold (and snowy) week!

Overall, the group break was really good to me. So good, in fact, that I had to choose my favorite eight cards (four from each team) to show on the blog.

As is often my way, let's count 'em down!

#8: 1994 Leaf - Chris Sabo

Sure, Spuds is shown as an Orioles so I get to cheat a bit and include essentially five Reds for the price of four. When I was younger, I was a huge fan of Sabo so adding another one of his cards to my collection is a good thing.

#7: 2003 MLB Showdown - Danny Graves

I'm including this card in my top 8 not because I particularly like it (it's ok) nor because I like the player (I never did) but rather because of what the card represents...namely, a Reds' team no longer saddled with "talent" like Graves and instead real talent (like Chapman). As for the set, I don't think the MLB Showdown set was overly popular but I happened to like it...I'm pretty sure I even bought a full box of the stuff once.

#6: 1996 Topps Laser - Bobby Bonilla

The Topps Laser cards are simply cool cards. I wish card companies kept experimenting with interesting designs now like they did in the 90s. Oh Pacific, where art thou?

#5: 1985 Fleer Limited Edition - Eddie Murray

I don't know anything about the Fleer Limited Edition set - and I'm not about to do any research right now so forget that idea. I do know that I like the card a lot.

#4: 1996 Leaf Limited - Cal Ripken Jr.

The Leaf Limited box must have been one of the included boxes in the group break since I landed quite a few of the cards from both teams. It's a nice and shiny card - and since it's of Cal Ripken Jr. (one of my favorite non-Reds of all time), it's a great addition to my collection.

#3: 1985 Fleer Limited Edition - Pete Rose

From almost every account, Rose is a total tool bag. However, he's a Red so he's our tool bag.

#2: 1996 Leaf Limited - Barry Larkin

I like to join group breaks that feature sets that might result in me adding a new Barry Larkin to my collection. Colbey's break didn't disappoint since this one is new...but it's nowhere near the best - that honor goes to the final card in the countdown!

#1: 1996 Topps Laser - Barry Larkin

This is a fold-out die-cut beauty of Barry Larkin. It's easily one of the most unique cards in my Barry Larkin Collection! As with all the Barry Larkin cards that I acquire, this one will eventually get its own time to shine in my Barry Larkin Collection - and when it does you'll get to see the card opened up.

Thanks for hosting the group break Colbey, sorry it took me almost two full years to get a post up!